Crutchie had come to the decision that mittens were, without a doubt, the most utterly annoying piece of winter apparel ever invented. Mittens were itchy, offered almost no protection for his freezing hands, and made using his crutch even more difficult since he couldn't grip it without it slipping out of his grasp. Plus, he'd gone to throw a snowball at Jack earlier and had ended up regretting it afterwards when he'd realized his hands had become completely soaked through with the snow. Soggy knitted yarn paired with a bitterly cold day was definitely not a good combination. He turned towards Jack, who stood beside him as they waited for their train to arrive, and told him as much.
"Well, that's what ya' get for losing your gloves. Also, you threw that snowball first, not me. So it's kinda' on you for the whole cold hands thing." Crutchie practically glared at Jack, who was being rather unsympathetic in his opinion. All he received in response was an amused chuckle and an arm slung around his shoulders. "Oh c'mon, don't give me that look, Crutch. At least I found those mittens for ya', huh? Better than no gloves at all."
"Easy for you to say, with your fancy leather gloves on. Meanwhile, I've got reinforced paper towels to keep warm," Crutchie grumbled from underneath his scarf, which he'd pulled over his mouth until it barely managed to cover his nose. He shifted from foot to foot anxiously, willing the train to come sooner, though he knew that was wishful thinking on his part. Of course the one train that dropped them off the closest to Spot's apartment always ran fifteen minutes late. Its tardiness was practically more reliable than its punctuality at this point.
"Y'know, you're the one that gave me these gloves." Jack reminded him, unconsciously pulling Crutchie closer with his one arm as he spoke, effectively stopping his boyfriend's restless movement back and forth.
"Yeah, I remember. Ya' made me try them on to see how soft they were on the inside, even though I was the one that bought them for ya'." Despite his currently annoyed state, Crutchie couldn't help but give a soft chuckle at the memory. His amusement grew double fold when he saw Jack roll his eyes, albeit affectionately.
"Oh, you shush your mouth. I was excited!" Jack laughed, a noise as sweet as honey that spilled from his lips and seemed to make Crutchie feel just as gooey inside. It even almost made him forget about how cold and uncomfortably wet his hands were. Almost. Crutchie grimaced as he felt how damp the grip of his crutch had become while he held on with his soaked mittens. He'd complained enough to Jack already though, and the train would be there soon so there was really no point in saying anything else. Hopefully, Spot had remembered to pay his heating bill for the month and they'd be able to hang out with their friends without freezing to death like last time.
The pair stood together as they waited for their ride, not saying anything, just staying huddled by each other in comfortable silence. A gust of wind from the world above traveled down the stairwell and stirred some abandoned newspapers in the corner into skittering across the ground. The distant noise of a busker somewhere on the other side of the tracks could be heard, their music echoing softly in an eerie sort of resonance. A woman chatted into her cellphone nearby while simultaneously trying to adjust her scarf in the reflection of an ad display. Things were almost peaceful, as if the hustle and bustle of New York had suddenly just become as frozen as the weather.
"Are your hands really that cold?" Crutchie glanced up to see Jack chewing on his bottom lip, something he only did when he had an idea he was mulling over. Crutchie narrowed his eyes playfully.
"What're ya' thinking so hard about over there, Mr. Kelly?" He teased, pulling Jack out of whatever thought had been currently firing through his brain.
"Nuh uh, no avoiding the question. Are your hands really that cold?"
Crutchie hesitated for a minute before replying. "Well, I guess they are. Can't really do anything about it though, huh?"
"Not necessarily. Give me your hands, please?" Jack slid his arm off Crutchie and turned so they were looking directly at each other, his palms faced towards the ceiling of the dingy subway tunnel as he waited for his request to be complied with. Crutchie placed more weight on his good leg rather than his crutch as brought his arms up, all while looking at Jack in suspicion.
"Why do ya' need my- wait a minute. Jack Kelly, don't you dare!" Realization dawned on Crutchie as he snatched his hands away right from where they'd been about to land in Jack's own. His boyfriend's eyes widened with faked innocence.
"Oh c'mon, ya' don't even know what I was gonna' do!" He insisted with a sullen put that would put most puppy dogs to shame. Crutchie just shook his head.
"Don't lie to me! Were you or were you not gonna' take my mittens an' switch them with your gloves?" He questioned, an accusatory figure pointed towards the clearly guilty party. Said guilty party at least had the decency to look sheepish at being figured out so quickly. "Thought so. That's real sweet of ya', sweetheart, but I don't want ya' getting cold just because of me. I'll manage until the train gets here, okay? Don't mind my complaining."
Jack sighed and took a step closer, managing to trap one of Crutchie's hands in his own and bring them closer together. Jack lowered his gaze until the two of them were nearly at eye level. There were a few people paying them no mind and milling about in the tunnel, but for a brief moment, Crutchie could have sworn the two of them were the only ones there.
"Please take my gloves? I know ya' can do fine without 'em, but I don't like seeing ya' all uncomfortable. Besides, I've always managed the cold better than you. So just… switch with me?"
They gazed into each other's eyes, though not quite as dramatically as perhaps two star crossed lovers from one of those cheesy romance novels Romeo enjoyed so much would. A rather intense staring contest best described what they were doing. It ended, however, when Crutchie broke with a groan.
"Alright, fine! I admit defeat, take my mittens. This is what I get for dating a gentleman, I suppose." Crutchie handed over the felonious winter apparel in question with a sigh, all the while mumbling about boyfriends being too sweet for their own good. Jack couldn't help but grin at that.
Jack happily stuffed Crutchie's mittens into his coat pocket, pulling of his own gloves with a flourish before handing them over. He watched in satisfaction as Crutchie tugged them on, flexing his fingers once they'd been encased in warm leather and faux fur.
Jack's breath nearly caught in his throat when Crutchie glanced up at him from beneath his lashes and gave him a smile. "Thanks, Jack."
"Anything for you, darling." Jack relished in the giggle he was graced with at the use of the cheesy pet name. He practically glowed when Crutchie pulled down his scarf from his mouth and stood up on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Jack's lips.
"Seriously. Thank you." Crutchie whispered, his eyes alit as they experienced whatever randomly wonderful moment was going on between them. Jack didn't reply, instead leaning down to press their lips together a second time, and hoping that it would serve as enough of an answer. It definitely did.
After a moment, Jack realized Crutchie had taken his hands from where they'd previously been cradling Crutchie's waist and now had them clasped gently and in between their chests, not in the slightest hindered by the crutch at his side. He broke apart from their kiss for a second and looked down at their entwined hands before looking up again.
"Crutchie?" The question hung in the air, though it was anything but urgent. Jack didn't particularly mind the fact they were holding hands, obviously, but he did wonder as to what had caused their sudden shift in position.
Crutchie simply shrugged, a slight blush tinting his cheeks that Jack expected wasn't entirely from the winter chill. "Well, I figured… I mean, this way both our hands stay warm now. It's, uh… Is this okay?" Crutchie asked with a touch of uncertainty. As if anything about their current situation wasn't okay. Jack just shook his head and gave a low chuckle.
"C'mere you." He drew Crutchie in until he was pressed against his chest with their arms lying comfortably at their sides but still grasping each other's hands. Jack placed a fond kiss to the top of his head. "Of course it's okay."
Crutchie smiled down at his feet. He definitely wasn't cold anymore, and it wasn't just because of his new gloves. "Okay, good."
They stayed like that until they could hear the train coming and had to split apart in order to not be trampled by the swarm of people who descended down the subway steps and piled into the waiting cars before them. But once they managed to get inside, the two made sure to hold hands, even if it wasn't strictly for warmth anymore.
Later that night when they returned from Spot's place to their own, Jack went to toss the cumbersome mittens into their sock drawer while Crutchie busied himself with making them hot cocoa. And when he pulled open the drawer, Jack promptly began to laugh himself silly.
"Hey sweetheart! Guess what I found in the dresser?"
A/N: Thanks for reading y'all! Reviews are extremely appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed my fic. Feel free to come visit me on tumblr at randomfandomsgirl15 or newsiesaskblog. Have a nice day!